Shanghai: The New Paris?

Is China trying to seal away France’s claim to fame as the world’s “most romantic city“? This year Valentines Day will strike 3 times in China. First, the western celebration of St. Valentine on February 14th (translated “Lover’s Day”). Additionally, the 7th Day of the 7th Month on the Chinese Calendar (NongLi 农历) is also “Lover’s Day”. But best of all, this year the 7th month comes twice on the Chinese Calendar, so 28 days from now it will be Valentine’s Day for the 3rd time in 2006… But only here in China.

So, does this mean that China is the most romantic spot on the planet? Or is China the spot on the planet most in need of some romantic assistance?

In case you are interested, the Chinese name for the Chinese calendar translates as “Agricultural Calendar”. To the older generation of Chinese, this is the real calendar and the calendar we’re using right now is just some western invention that will pass… Probably some truth to that – the Gregorian calendar has only been in use since 1582 (though the Julian was nearly the same and has been in use since 46 BC)